ACS 5.1 has a completely different user interface from ACS 4.2. Throughout the course of this chapter you will become familiar with the GUI and know where different functions are located. If this is your first time using ACS 5.1, it is important to take the time to learn how to navigate the interface.

The GUI is broken into two frames. You access different menu items on the left side frame (Navigation Pane) and perform configuration in the right side frame (Content Area). The Monitoring and Reports section is the only exception to this. After you launch the Monitoring and Reports Viewer, a new browser window opens. This new window has a layout similar to the original window but contains menu items related to monitoring and reporting. The left side menu is divided further into drop-down menus or drawers. Click on a drawer to expand it and see a list of options. The available drawers are as follows:

My Workspace

Network Resources

Users and Identity Stores

Policy Elements

Access Policies

Monitoring and Reports

System Administration

My Workspace

The My Workspace drawer contains:

Welcome Page

Task Guide

My Account

Welcome Page

The Welcome Page appears when you log in to ACS and provides links to information and shortcuts to some common tasks. Figure 4-1 shows the Welcome Page.

Clicking on the links below the Getting Started section on the Welcome Page creates a new frame in the Content Area. This new frame provides help on how to get started with ACS and contains shortcuts to the initial tasks.

Clicking on any other link in the Welcome Page will open a new window containing the help section. ACS 5.1 has a comprehensive help section and can be accessed using the Help link in the top-right corner of the ACS GUI.

Task Guide

The Task Guide has three menu items:

Quick Start

Initial System Setup

Policy Setup Steps

These items are shortcuts for the links under the Getting Started section on the Welcome Page.

My Account

My Account provides general information regarding the ACS GUI account and assigned roles, and enables you to change the password of your ACS administrator account. No other changes to the account can be made from this section. See Chapter 15, "ACS 5.1 Advanced Configuration," for information on editing and adding GUI administrator accounts. Figure 4-2 shows the My Account pane.